Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-17
FINDING ACRES OF GOLD.
a BewTdor!nG Story From the Far South
west-Dresms of Endless Wealth.

a BeW1ldoEarR story rom inc ar South-
west-Dreems of Endless Wealth.
The city was thrown into sucl a spRsm
of excitement few days since as is sell
dom witnessed in any country over the
discovery of gold in the pumpings from
the artesian well on the plaZs in front of
the court house. says the PhGnix Ca
Zette 1t happened in this wise: Sam
ueI D. Sanders, an old resident OF this
,piace, and former pleceT-miDer OF Cali
t1rafa, was at the Well being sunk for ar
tesian water by Joseph Drew on con-
tract for the county, and on looking down
st the last pumping it struck MIN that the
gravel was remarkably tine-loOking pay
dirt. With the instinct Of the prospeCtOr
strong upon him, he took ~ just what
sand and gravel he could hold in one
nEnd, and, seeing q wash basin standing
Aes !, went to the acequis, few steps dis
tsat, where he panned il out. When tee
little dab of sand and gravel was washed
t0sthe proper state, there was about q
sboonfal of black sandsliberally specked
with gold. -
It was no fool .g61d, but the bright,
shining ore isse4fFs ana no prospector's
"colors," but Coarse, clean metal. There
were at least dozen Of the precious
pieces, ranging from \ pin point up 10 q
pin head in size. He then PANIED another
handful with ike success. The sand
pump being raised about thet time a
portion OF its contents We're emptied
directly into the wash5asin, aud taken to
toe ditch and washed cu5, when there was
more GOLD in this than in either Of the
others. ABOUT this time the news spread,
and crowd beg&p to collect to verify
with their own sight the wonderful dis
coverg. When the reporter got on The
grounds the excitement vas Sc great
that steam had TO be SHUT off, and the
machinery was 81 q standstilI. The crowd
ebbed ana flowed 10 and from the well,
and soon the news had extended the
whole length of WASHINGTON street. The
estimates put upon the quantity Of
gold this pay dirt will yield to the
miners pan varied from So TO $40.
It must be remembered that these esti-
mates were based upon the amount of
sand one could grasp with one hand,
which would be but small fraction of
the usual pan. As has been said above,
this showing did not consist of cOlorS
that one would have to examine with 8
glass to determine whether it was mica
or films of metal, but good, coarse, clean
gold, such as IN dIggings in California
would have sent people from San Diego
to Del Norte as fast as steamers, rail
ways and stages could have sent them
along. This discovery is at depth OF
fortv.one feet below the surface, and how
far above the bedrock no one knows. 1t
may be one foot and it may be twenty.
These facts show the immensely of the
discovery and give a faint idea of the
vast wealth that lies buried beneath the
Salt river. valley. One foot depth
of such pay-dirt under the courthouse
plaza represents millions Of dollsrs.
What is the contracted space OF one city
block, three hundred feet square, com
pared with the whole valley FROM the Su-
perstition mountains to the GilasTiver, s
breadth OF from ten 70 fifteen miles! That
the whole valley contains ike material is
evidenced by the fact that wherever
wells have been sunk water has been
found in 8 similar s'ratumiof coarse gray
eI, boulders and quicksand, showing that
tle subsoil all came from common
source. Mr.. Sanders said that had he
fifty feet sGuare Of such auriferOus SAND
ne would have more money than al
Phoenix is worth.